Opinion: Quitmate could help you stop smoking – as long as you really want to

Aside from a packet or two of their favourite cigarettes, the other item a smoker is always likely to have on their person is a mobile phone. So while the connection may not be immediately obvious, creating a mobile application that helps smokers to cut down and eventually quit the habit, as Quitmate has done, actually makes a lot of sense. In fact, it’s a good example of user oriented and highly targeted content. However, like any other quitting method (with the possible exception of hypnotism), success is still dependent on the willpower of the smoker.

Quitmate is a unique mobile application that first helps smokers understand their smoking patterns by recording their cigarette consumption. It then uses this information to create a personalized plan that gradually lowers the user’s daily cigarette allowance. According to research quoted by Quitmate, this gradual approach has a far higher success rate than going ‘cold turkey’ on a specific date.

Users record their smoking habits by pressing a button on their mobile phone. The Quitmate software builds up a record of smoking frequency and timing, and provides reports that illustrate these consumption patterns in graph form. For example, users can examine their smoking habits by day of the month or time of day, and even work out how much money they can save by cutting down and giving up. The application then sets a target plan that reduces the user’s cigarette allowance over a set period of time. Other features include various icons that graphically illustrate daily progress against the targets that the application sets.

In the UK at least, the Quitmate application is good value and handily priced to match the cost of a single packet of cigarettes at £5, although a 7-day trial is also available for £1. It’s also a good fit for the mobile environment. Quitmate uses the 24/7 presence of a mobile phone to address a problem that is also integral to the user’s life and does so in an engaging way. It is also highly personalized to the habits of specific users, and is therefore also attractive to them and to advertisers that might want to target quitting-stage smokers.

The only disadvantage is the reliance on the mental strength of the user to reap the rewards of quitting. But then, that’s something that also applies to other popular quitting methods such as nicotine patches. If you’re ready to end your addiction to the evil weed, we recommend you give it a try.